Vapor electric apparatus.



P. G. HEWITT. VAPOR'ELEOTBIG APPARATUS.

' APPLICATION IILEDVMAR. 2a, 1908.

1,025,464. I Patented May 7, 1912.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

ami-[memos i SW LM w I 93, Janet/lieu I P. 0.. HEWITT. VAPOR ELECTRICAPPARATUS. APPLIUATION FILED MAR. 23, 19081 1,025,464. Patented Ma 7,1912.-

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2L UNITED STATES rATENT OFFICE.

rETEE' COOPER HEWITT, or RINGWOOD MANOR, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR To cooPnEHEWITT ELEcTEIc roux, r

COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPQBATION OF NEW VAPOR ELECTRICAPPARATUS.

Specification of letters Patent.

PatentedMay7,1912.

. Continuation of application Serial No. 204,179, filed April 21, 1904'.This application filed March 23, 1908:

Serial No. 422,616.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, PETER COOPER HEW-v ITT, a citizen of the UnitedStates, and resident'of Ringwood Manor, county of Passaic, State of NewJersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Va orElectric Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

' character are described in certain patents.

My nvention relates that class of .electrical apparatus in whichelectric currents issued tome on September 17, 1901, and reference maybe had thereto for details as to the general plan of exhausting theinclosing chamber and sefuringthe proper conditions of the 'inclosed gasor vapor. It

is now well-known. that devices ofthis characterloppose a resistance tothe initial passage'of currenttherethrough, but that when thisresistance has once been-overcome, as

' by the application of a current of high potential for instance,current will continue to flow under the influence of moderate differenceof potential.

The present invention relates more particularly'to means" for'initiating the flow' of:

a positive'electrode of the device, and if current is causedtoflowthrough this conductiingpath and the path is then interrupted at ornear the negative electrode, the current will .flow through the gas orvapor be tween 'the.,e lectrodes in preference to jumpi'ng or bridgingthe comparatively small. gap between the separated terminals of theinterrupted conducting path. In practice, I have adopted a form ofapparatus in which the negative electrode is provided with a conductingprolongation or extension which makes contact either with the otherelectrode or with an extension therefrom, and I have provided automaticmeans for the openin of the conducting path thus formed inside thecontaining vessel, with the result already described. In the originalexperiments with this class of devices, difficulty was encountered inobtaining a solid conductor which could be freed from gases and foreignmaterials within a practical time while on the pump. Such lam s after.

having apparently been suitably ex austed ,would become inoperativewithin a com-- 'paratively short time which was attributed tothe'gi'ving oil of delete'rious gases from the extensionof the negativeelectrode, thus rendering the lamps diificult to make. prac-' ticallyand impairing their durability when .made. 11 have devised various waysof overcomingv this difli'culty amongwhich may be vmentioned,constructing the extension from the negative electrode of very thinmaterial and heating-it by reason '01: the ohmic resistance "offered tothe passage of current through it while on the pump. Itwas also overcomeby allowingthe negative flame to lick'it from the top to the bottom,thus heating it locally all over in spots while stillon the pump.lThematerial forming this extension mav alsobe treated externally from thelamp, before putting on the pump, thus obviating' the manor part of thedifliculty .of removing thegases while the final pumpin is in pro e'ss.Thematerial may be of so t 11011, car

on, graphite, or other suitable material. "The details of a convenientembodiment of my invention are described herein. and current throughapparatus of'this class. .I have found that if an actual conducting pathI through the gas or vapor is provided 1n the first instancefroma-negative electrodeto illustrated in the accompanying drawings in whichFi ure .1 illustrates one. form of apparatusa apted to carry outtheinvention; and Figs. 2, 3, 4 and 5 illustrate 'details andmodifications.

" In the first figure ofthe drawings, 1 rep-- transparent material. Thechamber contains a suitable gas-or vapor, such for example, as

mercury vapor. In the present instance, I have shown a .negativeelectrode, 2, as consisting of a small quantity of mercury, and haveshown this electrode as being connected with an external conductor'9, bya leadingin wire, 3. The latter is flexibly connected with the-base ofthe extension 8, which is surrounded by' the mercury and 'in electricalconnection therewith. The rod, 8, which is thus in contact with themercury extends longitudinally through the container 1, forming, so tospeak, a prolongation or extension of the negative electrode. Theextension 8 may conveniently consist of a relatively stiff piece ofconducting material such, for instance, as iron, carbon, chromium, orother suitable conductor. Should some nonmagnetic material be selectedfor the extension 8, its remote end may be provided with a magnetizablematerial to constitute an armature, as will be explained later on. Nearits remote end the extension 8 is here surrounded by a loop or ring, 5,constituting the main portionof the positive electrode of the apparatus.The said loop or ring is connected' by an extension, 6, with aleading-inwire, 7 constituting the means of connection with the externalcircuit.

When the apparatus is mounted, say in a vertical position, the extension8 rests against the inner edge of the ring electrode 5, therebycompleting a conducting path through the container 1 by way of theleading-in wire 7, the extension 6, the ring electrode 5, the extension8, the negative electrode 2, and the leadingdn wire 3. The connection ofthe positive electrode 5 to the external circuit conductor, 10, is madethrough a coil, 11, having a magnetizable core, 12. To start the deviceinto operation, the circuit 9-10 is closed and current passes throughthe device by way of the conducting path already described. In this. waythe electro-magnet 1112 is vitalized and acts magnetically upon theadjacent end of the extension 8 whereby the said extension will belifted out of contact with the ring 5. Thereupon the current will passfrom the ring through the intervening vapor path to the extension 8,after which the current very quickly chooses the path of gas or vapor inthe container, and instead of 'continuing to traverse a portion of theextension 8, passes directly through the gas or vapor path to thesurface of the electrode 2. The position of the magnet 1112 may be suchas to draw the extension 8, over against an insulating block or coating,13, carried by the ring 5; or it may cause the extension to stand freewithin the ring and out of contagt with any portion thereof.

The extension 6, may terminate in circular form, as shown incross-section in Fig. 3, or in an electrode of Y-shape, as shown in Fig.4, or in an electrode having other suitable configurations In Fig. 2 Ihave shown a modification illustrating the invention as applied to amultiphase electric circuit. The source, 30, is here shown as athree-phase generator, which may be either a transformer or any othersuitable source of three-phase currents. It is not necessary that themultiphase circuit should be. a three-phase circuit, it being readilypossible to adapt the invention to circuits carrying any desired numberof phases. The neutral point, 31, of the generator is joined by a wire,9, with the leading-in wire 3. The terminals of the generator areconnected by wires, 10, 10", and 10, respectively, with positiveelectrodes 15, 15 and 15, within the container 1. The

magnet 1112 is here included in the conductor 9, and a switch, 20, isprovided for controlling the circuit. A work circuit is shown at 21. Theelectrode 5 is ring shaped as before and surrounds the open end of theextension 8. The latter simply rests within the mercury electrode, 2,without being mechanically linked to the leading-in wire. For energizingthe magnet 1112 and initiating the flow of current, I may use a suitablesource, 14, of continuous electric currents and I may provide itscircuit with a switch, 33, by means of which the said source may be cutinto and out of circuit. This circuit may be independent of the workcircuit. Assuming that the said switch is closed, the closure of theswitch 20 will then complete a circuit from the source 14 through theleading-in wire 7 the extension 6, the electrode 5, the extension 8, theelectrode 2, the leading-in wire 3, and the conductor 9*. This willcause the extension 8 to be lifted out of contact with the ringelectrode 5, and it will be held out of cont-act so long as the circuitto the source 14 remains closed. As to the operation of the device underthe influence of multiphase currents, it may be said that successivephases pa$ through the device to the electrode 2 from the electrodes 15,15 and 15, and inasmuch as current from one of these electrodes beginsbefore that through another ceases, the apparatus will be kept inoperative condition.

In Fig. 5, I have shown a modification in the arrangement of theapparatus in which the negative electrode is put at the upper end of thedevice in the bottom of a bentover extension and hangs downward throughthe tube and passing through the ring 5 at the lower end. The magnet 11may be so placed as to swing the extension into contact with theelectrode when it is desired to make contact therewith and it will bereleased when the circuit of the magnet 11 is broken, or it may be madeto operate in the same manner as described with reference to Fig. 1. Themagnet 11, in this instance, is shown as being connected in a separatecircuit provided with a switch of any suitable character for temporarilyclosing its connection.

The present application is a continuation of applicants case SerialNumber 204,179, filed April 21st, 1904.

I claim as my invention 1. In a system of electrical distribution, thecombination with an alternating ourrent source, a rectifier thereforcomprising a completely exhausted container and elec-- trodes therein,including a plurality of anodes and a vaporizable reconstructing cathodeand connections between said anodes and terminals of the source and aconnection between the cathode and an intermediate point of said source,of a separate direct current source connected between the inter-'mediate point of the alternating source and I a separate anode withinthe container, means for connecting and disconnecting said additionalanode to and from said cathode within the container and automatic meansresponsive tothe rectified current from said alternating source foroperating said means,

together with non-automatic means for controlling the direct currentsource. g

2. In a system of electrical distribution, the combination with analternating current source, a rectifier therefor comprising acompletely' exhausted container and electrodes therein, including aplurality of anodes and a filporizahle reconstructing cathode andconnections between said anodes and the terminals of the source and aconnection between the cathode and an intermediate point of said source,of a separate direct current source connected between the intermediatepoint of the alternating source and a separate anode within thecontainer, means for connecting and disconnecting said additional anodeto and from said cathode within the container, a magnet coil located invthe said first named connection to the intermediate point of thealternating source for operating said means, together with non-automatic means for controlling the direct

